Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about prioritizing the laws and will of God. Jesus came to set us free from the penalty of sin, which is death and complete separation from God. However, we’re still obligated to make following God’s will for our life our number one priority. Just because we’ve been redeemed, doesn’t mean that we still don’t have to walk on the path of righteousness, and complete the will set forth for us. Remember our flesh wants what it wants, but our job is to please God first, and He’ll in turn reward us according to His riches and glory. Choosing the Spirit over the flesh, right over wrong, is commonly the hardest thing for us to do, because we were born with a sinful nature, however, through Christ we can accomplish all things. So we must commit to doing whatever it is that God’s has for us to do, because it’s not about us, it’s about the Kingdom as a whole. God said, love Me, and love each other, and that’s all that He requires of us. Granted, there are a lot of things that fall under those two very loaded commandments, but Love comes from the heart, and it’s the easiest thing that we can give.

What comes with our freedom? Do we have the ability to live life any way we see fit, and still inherit the Kingdom of God? That’s question has a few answers. First, once you believe Jesus as Lord, and sincerely repent for your sins, your name has been written in the Lambs Book of Life. You can sin until the cows come home, and still go to heaven, because you’re a believer. At the same time, we will ALL stand judgment one day, and our sins won’t go unpunished. Moreover, we won’t have any type of quality of life here on earth. Being covered in sin is just as bad as a terminal illness—it’ll keep eating away at you, until you have nothing left. You’ll feel hollow inside, and alone, trust me I’ve known the feeling very well. You see when Jesus comes into your life, He takes up residency in your heart, and God begins a good work in you. The Apostle Paul told the Philippians to be “confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”. (1:6) No matter what happens in this life, Jesus won’t ever give up on us, and will never stop pushing us to be righteous. The Holy Spirit will convict us of our sins, as well as offer continued guidance along the way. However, in every situation you still make the final choice—do you choose righteousness or the flesh?

It’s written: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Rom 6:1-4 NIV) There you have it! It’s not okay to keep sinning against God and saying, “God knows my heart”, “He’ll forgive me whenever I ask”, or “I’ll repent later”. Being a Christian isn’t a joke, it’s a new life that we take on. We must make a conscious decision to live right, and do right by God. We must follow the laws of Moses, because they are guidelines to help us be good people. If we break them, it doesn’t mean condemnation, as it once meant, but it will grieve the Holy Spirit of God. We must decide to live right each and every day, and in every situation, because that’s who we are in Christ. As long as we’re trying our best to do right, He’ll carry us the rest of the way.

With Jesus in our life, all we have to do is put one foot in front of the other, and follow His lead. He laid a good foundation—He was in the flesh, tempted and tried just as we are, yet He overcame every trap set by the enemy, because His focus was on His Father and keeping His commandments. That’s something that we all have to learn, how to realize that we’re no longer under the laws of the flesh, or ruled by darkness, but we’re righteous through Christ. We’ve overcome the world, and live above it. We’re royalty and joint heirs to the Kingdom of God, and we’re free! When you’re armed with the wisdom and knowledge of God, it’s important to walk by it. It’s written: If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:17)

To reiterate, Jesus offers salvation and freedom to all who believe in Him, but it’s a choice. In order to choose Jesus, just confess your sins with a sincere heart, and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior. Once we say that initial prayer, we must choose Jesus everyday and in everything that we do. We must choose to stay on the straight and narrow path Jesus warned us about. We must make an effort to Love God, and love each other. We must make good decisions, but most importantly pray without ceasing—keep that communication open with God. If you’re not sure what you believe right now, please take a moment and take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verses today are: What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today's scriptures are about circumcising your heart. According to an Author Mr. Michael Glass, "Circumcision cuts off the foreskin, the sexually sensitive sleeve of tissue that normally covers and protects the head of the penis." Mr. Glass’ definition of the physical act of circumcision gives us a little more detail than the dictionary. According to the early Law, circumcision was started with Abram as a covenant with God, it's written: This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. (Gen 17:10-11) According to other biblical scholars, circumcision was performed as a witness, to permanently remind the people of Israel the need to Obey God's laws. This author goes on to say: For example, the covenant between Jacob and Laban was witnessed by a stone marker (Genesis 31:46-48). God's covenant with Noah and the world was witnessed by the rainbow (Genesis 9:12-16). In Abram's case, God asked that he and all his male descendents who entered into the covenant carry the reminder of the covenant in their own flesh. (~La Vista Church)

The act of circumcision is still a controversial subject today, but most people practice it on their newborn sons, but not all do it because it's the Law of God. It's argued to be medically safer or cleaner for the male, but there are just as many pros as there are cons in certain medical journals. Biblically, it no longer matters whether you're circumcised or uncircumcised. Just as I mentioned a few days ago, people still stress over the laws of what they should eat, or whether a woman should cover her head in church, etc. None of these matter because we will not be judged upon those things, but we'll be judge on our heart, and how much we love. We have the Holy Spirit as a witness of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and He's more than enough. I'm not telling you to abandon you're culture, or the way you've been taught to dress, eat, circumcise or not to circumcise, but I am telling you make sure to focus more on the Love of God.

I remember a time when I was torn between paying my tithe to the church and helping someone in need. I went to my Pastor, and asked him was I wrong for taking the money that I intended to sow into the church, and use it for someone in need. I was taught to bring your tithes into the storehouse, and to sow into God's work and ministry, so I didn't want to disobey that command. My Pastor told me that he thought it would be wrong for me to skip over a person in need, in order to follow that law. Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and I couldn't be wrong for sacrificing one act of love for another.

Instead of focusing so much on God's commandment of physical circumcision, we’re now commanded to circumcise our heart. In my opinion, we experience so much evil, hatred, bitterness, and anger in life, that our heart builds a shield of sorts, to protect itself. If Jesus taught us to "love God with all our heart", how could we honestly do so, when we've built up all of this extra "skin" around it? This skin is naturally there for protection, but in most cases what’s meant to protect things from getting in, also protects them from coming out.

In order to circumcise our heart we must examine it. We must be sure that we've confessed and repented for all sins. We must also forgive those who have wronged us in the past. It hinders us more to hold on to grudges, than it does to let them go, and forgive. Shedding the victim mentality, and learning how to acknowledge God in everything, allows us a better opportunity to love. For example, if you lose your job, instead of asking, "what am I going to do now?” try to asking, "God what do you want me to do now, and how is this going to make me better person?" Changing your outlook on life comes with circumcising the heart.

Paul taught us that those who willfully sin against God try to hold on to old laws and old traditions, thinking that they're justified because of them. However, if you don't believe in Jesus Christ, but you were circumcised according to the Law, you still will not see the Kingdom of God. If that were the case you’d have to follow each law to the letter, including all Ten Commandments, which we know we've all broken at least one. Paul said it best: You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Gal. 5:4-6 NIV)

If you don't know Jesus, you don't truly know God, because Jesus opened that gateway directly to the Father. Through Christ, you could go to God for anything, at anytime, and He will be open to you, no matter your circumcision status, or anything else for that matter. Without Jesus, you run the risk of your heart growing cold and filled with so many unnecessary hurts and pains. All you have to do is to let go, and allow Jesus carry those burdens for you. He died to set us free! Say that very important prayer today, if you need my help let me know! My favorite verse today is: Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. (Romans 15:8)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Today's scriptures are about Love, the action that originated with God, and manifested through His Son Jesus Christ. Love is the strongest feeling that we could have for something or someone, and it causes us to exhibit preferential treatment to the things or the people we love. We should sacrifice ourselves for our beloved, take care of them, nurture them, and do our best to please them. We learn this from the life of Jesus Christ. Just think about it, He loves us so much that He dedicated His entire life to us. He wants what’s best for us, more than He wanted what was best for Him.
God loved us from the time He created us, and will never stop. He loves us through sin, hatred, disobedience, and disrespect. He loves us even if we don't love Him. His love is a precious gift that's instilled in us, through our acceptance of Jesus Christ. Love should never be taken for granted, or used for evil. God's love is so pure, that it's never ending and never fading. John teaches us how to know God through love, in 1 John 4. It's written: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:7-11) Jesus paid a great price to give us ability to experience love as He experienced it, and it’s meant to be shared.
Jesus’ love is what gives us second, third, and even five-hundredths chances. His love leads and guides us through everyday life. His love lives in our heart, and teaches us in the way we should go. His love is notwithstanding the test of time. His love never fades. His love is free to all who loves freely. John goes on to say: No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:12-16)
I'm quick to share the fact that I am love, because I experience the love of God daily, and I pray the same for every human being. This feeling is truly spectacular, and I wish to share it with everyone I come in contact with. I've always been a loving person, easy to get along with, meek, and forgiving, but God has magnified those qualities through Christ, as well as my ability to love and feel love, to an amazing level. I'm at a point where it's overwhelming just to think about it, and sometimes scary, because everyone isn't filled with the Spirit, and some will try to take my love for granted. However, the Word of God says: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18) Through Christ, hatred is a thing of the past for me, and I could honestly say that. Of course I get angry at times, and I separate myself from people, but that doesn't mean that I don't love them. The same goes for God with us, there are times when He's angry with us, and we're punished, but that doesn't mean that He loves us any less. We have to do the same with each other.
Never forget the concept of reaping what you sow. We pray to God often, and tell Him how much we love Him. We go to church, and sing praises to His Name, and say the loudest Amen’s, but most of us have people in or lives that we hate, or have sworn not to forgive. We have people who need our help, but over look them. We expect to receive more than we give. We have opportunities to share the Gospel of Christ to people who are searching for a light, but we are too busy to get involved. Take heed of these very important words: If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (1 John 4:20-21)
The word of God says, God is love, and Jesus and the Father are one, so without the Son you cannot see the Father. Are you ready to experience true love? If you are not a believer of Christ, and think you know love, just wait until you experience the Love of God, through Jesus. This could only truly happen when you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Test your knowledge of God, through Dr. Stanley's God Quiz today. My favorite verse today is: His great love wherewith he loved us. (Ephesians 2:4)

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